Prior art fishing lures have generally neglected ballast considerations to maintain a lure in proper orientation so that desired lure action is generated while the lure is retrieved. A majority of prior art lures rely upon diving planes which, with the aid of forces exerted on the lure by the retrieving line cause the lure to exhibit a predetermined motion and orientation. However, the situation frequently occurs wherein a bit of seaweed or a twisted leader cause the lure to lie in the water in an unnatural attitude at the beginning of retrieve and as a result the lure will not provide the desired action in that it will dart in the wrong and, generally unnatural, direction.
In other prior art lures, the position of the leader attachment means is selected so that the lure will assume a proper orientation as it is retrieved. However, as in the diving plane type of lure discussed above, a twisted leader or a fouled hook will cause the lure to assume an unnatural attitude during the retrieve and the lure will not simulate a bait as desired.
A still further approach to maintaining a fishing lure in proper orientation during retrieval is the use of hooks to ballast the lure. This approach is prone to the same failures as previously discussed with respect to fouled leaders and hooks. Furthermore, hooks are prone to snag seaweed and similar plant life and if the object snagged by a hook is buoyant, the ballast effects of the hooks is destroyed and the lure cannot be retrieved in a manner which will simulate the desired bait.